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http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/24/caitlyn-jenner-halloween-costume-sparks-social-media-outrage-.html

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...een-costume-labeled-817515?utm_source=twitter

It's nowhere near October, but one ensemble is already on track to be named the most controversial Halloween costume of 2015.

Social media users were out in full force on Monday criticizing several Halloween retailers for offering a Caitlyn Jenner costume reminiscent of the former-athlete's Vanity Fair cover earlier this year.

While Jenner's supporters condemned the costume as "transphobic" and "disgusting" on Twitter, Spirit Halloween, a retailer that carries the costume, defended the getup.

"At Spirit Halloween, we create a wide range of costumes that are often based upon celebrities, public figures, heroes and superheroes," said Lisa Barr, senior director of marking at Spirit Halloween. "We feel that Caitlyn Jenner is all of the above and that she should be celebrated. The Caitlyn Jenner costume reflects just that."
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BScCollateral said:
Should have some interesting repercussions.
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Super-Chevy454 said:
That's prove then Canada have too much bureaucrats.
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Governments on this planet trying to legislate space can seem like they're trying to rule the universe. Sounds imperialistic.

PS1gamenwatch said:
What happens after?
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If the universe expansion really is slowing down, I hope it doesn't lead to a "Big Crunch", then a "Big Bounce", then time resetting. That could mean "eternal recurrence", where one has to live whatever life they got over and over and over.
 

News that Donald Trump's DC Hotel had come to an end was greeted with applause from ethics experts on Wednesday.

"The Trump International Hotel in Washington is now officially out of business after the Trump family on Wednesday completed its sale to a Miami investor group, which plans to reopen it as a Waldorf Astoria," Eric Lipton of The New York Times reported Wednesday. "The sale formally ended the Trump family’s business presence in Washington, although the family company still owns a golf course in Northern Virginia."

The hotel is in the Old Post Office, a lease which was awarded to the Trump Organization by the federal government.

"Hotel industry executives have said the hotel underperformed compared with other luxury hotels in the city, particularly since President Donald J. Trump left office, in part because some companies and travelers were reluctant to book rooms or hold events at the hotel given the controversies surrounding Mr. Trump," the newspaper reported. "Those factors most likely contributed to the decision to sell the lease, they said."

Following the publication of the story, Lipton visited the hotel and documented the "Trump International Hotel" sign being taken down by construction workers using a cherry-picker.

Journalist Zach Everson of Forbes magazine noted Ivanka Trump once talked about her young daughter Arabella Kushner inheriting the hotel.

"I also believe that my long-term personal commitment to the property made a substantial impact in the bidding process. I can envision Arabella overseeing this hotel someday (if she so chooses!), and I shared that with the selection committee," she said. "This makes the Trump DC incredibly important not just in our portfolio but also to our family."

Everson noted the hotel lost $73 million but sold for $197 million more than they estimated it to be worth, resulting in a $100 million windfall for Trump.

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW) in Washington applauded the end of the hotel.

"The Trump Hotel in DC is no more. Good riddance to a sinkhole of corruption," CREW wrote.

Noah Bookbinder, the group's president, was glad that the hotel is still under investigation by Congress.

"It's good to see Congress asking questions about the sale of the Trump Hotel DC, including the price, which is significantly higher than typical market rates. The history of conflicts and corruption surrounding the hotel should engender scrutiny," he wrote.
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Archive - https://archive.ph/PKzQ5

Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Auntie Diaries’ Is a Powerful, Genre-Shifting Statement on Transphobia​


One of Kendrick Lamar’s great strengths as a rapper is his ability to acknowledge and criticize his own biases and prejudices and not place himself above the people he’s singling out. It’s a characteristic that appears frequently in his work, particularly on his deep and dense new album, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” which arrived late Thursday some five years after his Pulitzer Prize-winning 2017 album “DAMN.,” and particularly on the song “Auntie Diaries,” which is a topic that few rappers have addressed at all, let alone with empathy.

In the song, Lamar describes the journey of a family member who transitioned, and speaks of his challenges with it but primarily concludes that he loves his family and defends it to his friends.


He also effectively equates the politics and emotions behind slurs, particularly the n-word and the f-word, and points a finger at himself for not fully understanding the distinction when he brought a white girl onstage to rap one of his verses at the Hangout festival in 2018, and she used the N-word, as he does in the song. She was booed and Lamar gently but sternly lectured her onstage — and apparently has come to think twice about what he said at the time.

While the song itself commits some language missteps, such as deadnaming and misgendering, it can be argued that the self-reflection, growth and learning shown through Lamar’s lyrics are a positive step for a leader in the hip hop community.


With thanks to Genius.com for the lyric transcription, the song begins:

My auntie is a man now
I think I’m old enough to understand now…
I watch him and his girl hold their hands down
Tip of the avenues under street lights made his
Thinking, “I want me a bad bitch when I get big”…
My auntie is a man now
Asked my momma why my uncles don’t like him that much
And at the parties why they always wanna fight him that much
She said “Ain’t no telling
N—-s always been jealous because he had more women
More money and more attention made more envy
Calling him anything but broke was less offending”

In the second verse, he drops the F-word.

Back when it was comedic relief to say “F—-t”
“F—-t” “F—-t” “F—-t”, we ain’t know no better
Elementary kids with no filter however…
She wasn’t gay, she ate p—y, and that was the difference
That’s what I told my friends in second grade
She picking me up from school, they stare at her in the face
They couldn’t comprehend what I grew accustomed…
My auntie was a man now, we cool with it
The history had trickled down and made us ign’ant

In verses 3 and 4, we see the return of the Demetrius, mentioned way back on Lamar’s 2012 major-label debut, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” who may or may not be the aunt in the song — and later has a Caitlyn Jenner reference.

Demetrius is Mary-Ann now
He’s more confident to live his plan now
But the family in disbelief this time
Convincing themselves “He ain’t living discreet, he’s fine”
They said they never seen it in him, but I seen it
The Barbie dolls played off the reflection of Venus
He built a wall so tall you couldn’t climb over
He didn’t laugh as hard when the kids start joking…
I had to be very mindful of my good cousin
I knew exactly who he was but I still loved him
Demetrius is Mary-Ann now
I mean he’s really Mary-Ann, even took things further
Changed his gender before Bruce Jenner was certain
Living his truth even if it meant see a surgeon

The final two verses bring religion into the equation, and revive the recurring “I knew you was conflicted” line from “DAMN.”:

More spiritual when these dudes were living life straight
Which I found ironic ’cause the pastor didn’t see him the same
He said my cousin was going through some things
He promised the world we living in was an act on abomination
And Demetrius was to blame
I knew you was conflicted by the feelings a preacher made
Wondering if God still call you a decent man…
I said “Mr. Preacher man, should we love thy neighbor?
The laws of the land or the heart, what’s greater?
I recognize the study she was taught since birth
But that don’t justify the feelings that my cousin preserved”
The building was thinking out loud, bad angel
That’s when you looked at me and smiled, said “Thank you”
The day I chose humanity over religion
The family got closer, it was all forgiven

And finally, it winds down with self-examination: Lamar recalls the 2018 concert in which he brought a white girl onstage to rap one of his verses, and she used the N-word, as he does in the song. She was booed and Lamar gently but sternly lectured her onstage — and apparently has come to think twice about what he said at the time.

Mistakenly I didn’t think you’d know any different
See, I was taught words was nothing more than a sound
If everything was pronounced without any intentions
The very second you challenge the shit I was kicking
Reminded me about a show I did out the city
That time I brung a fan on stage to rap
But disapproved the word that she couldn’t say with me
You said “Kendrick, ain’t no room for contradiction
To truly understand love, switch position
‘F—-t, f—-t, f—-t,’ we can say it together
But only if you let a white girl say ‘N—a'”
 
3 shot outside Milwaukee Bucks game. Two hours later, 17 others are shot a few blocks away
Seventeen people were shot Friday night in downtown Milwaukee just two hours after three were shot a few blocks away, near the arena where the Milwaukee Bucks were playing in the NBA Playoffs.

Ten people were taken into custody in the shooting downtown, and nine firearms were recovered, according to Milwaukee Police Capt. Warren Allen.

The 17 people shot ranged in age from 15 to 47, Allen said.

All victims in both shootings are expected to survive, he said.
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I've read Britney Spears had a miscarriage. On one hand the "empty egg carton" joke thread is pretty inviting, but it feels overwhelmingly assholish action towards a stranger that I only know memes about. Though even if she is an uber leftie it's still a low blow.
 
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wtfNeedSignUp said:
I've read Britney Spears had a miscarriage. On one hand the "empty egg carton" joke thread is pretty inviting, but it feels overwhelmingly assholish action towards a stranger that I only know memes about. Though even if she is an uber leftie it's still a low blow.
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Was this recent? She's been pumped full of how many drugs over the years (before and after her very public meltdown) so I'm not too surprised but miscarriages are heartbreaking in a way.
 
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